Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Bring on The Republic!


Today is Wednesday and we're booked on the 6.30am ferry to Nanaimo on Friday morning. So I have a bunch of things to do to get ready for packing tomorrow night. Luckily, when we got back to Lions Bay last time, I made sure the food tote and our very handy double drawer box thingy had all the necessary items clean and neatly stored inside, ready for this trip.

We bought these 2 sets of these drawer thingies for camping a few years back. They are about 24" high and fit nicely into the back of the Jeep, which makes bearproofing the campsite every day real easy... because all the food and food prep stuff is in them, you just heave them into the car when you head out for the day, and voila! No bear attractants left in the camp site. When you get back and it's time to cook dinner, you just haul them out again and they make a very handy counter top next to the picnic table. I added a clip-on cutlery basket on the side for paraphenalia as well.

In the interests of cargo space, we are currently using only one set of double drawers: One drawer has all the plates, cutlery and condiments in it. Another has the gas cylinders for the camp stove, BBQ and lights, matches, lighters, candle, bugspray, washing up tubs and more in it, and then the food tote has cereals, cans, fruit and veg in it. We take as much stuff as we can with us, because groceries are expensive on the island. All we buy is ice and bread, the latter being locally made and truly awesome (and healthy).

We have a large cooler box for milk, butter, the meat for BBQ'ing, which we pack frozen, yoghurt and other perishables, and a smaller cooler box for pop, wine and beers. That's why we need the ice. We learned a lesson in August when every boat that docked at Gorge Harbour or Squirrel Cove stocked up on ice and for 3 days there was none to be had. Ultimately we want a small propane fridge in the bunky, but for now we're doing fine.

Of course there are no bears on Cortes Island or The Republic, just wolves, cougars, deer, raccoons and so on. But these drawer thingies are a great way to make sure the whole camping experience is organised and easy to manage.

Getting back to the upcoming trip: I might just take the laptop with me and write a blog entry every evening while Nev is BBQ'ing. That way I have a record of what we managed to get done each day, and what we learned.

This might be due to seeing the movie "Julie and Julia" yesterday: I get it, I really do. Even though no-one is reading this blog, it'll be a record of how The Seagull Republic came to be for us. It might be a resource of Lessons Learned in the future, who knows?

At the very least, it keeps me occupied and un-bored. While writing, the flow and rhythm of the words make me forget how frustrated I am with the projects I vounteered for, the fact that we have limited cash to make the main cabin a reality right now, and my quilts, which have almost come to a halt while I wait to learn how to finish them. Thank goodness for Carolyn, my long-suffering quilting buddy, who helped me out yet again yesterday!

Ah but I digress. Or do I? It's all part of the general betwixt-n-between state of being in which I find myself right now.

What I need is some time at The Republic. Bring on Friday!

No comments:

Post a Comment